Berlin (SPX) May 04, 2026
The DAMPE space telescope has identified a universal feature in the energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei - from protons to iron - that strongly favors rigidity-dependent models of cosmic ray acceleration and transport over competing alternatives, according to a new study published in Nature. DAMPE, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer, was launched in December 2015 and has been accumulating

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
ThinKom Solutions has unveiled Alecto, a self-funded, mobile high-power microwave (HPM) directed energy weapon designed to defeat unmanned aircraft system (UAS) swarms. Based in Hawthorne, California, the company developed the system using its proprietary Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) antenna technology, targeting Counter-UAS (C-UAS) requirements for the Department of W

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
Planet Labs PBC has signed an agreement with Carbon Mapper to design a new specialized version of the Tanager spacecraft optimized exclusively for shortwave infrared (SWIR) detection, targeting significantly enhanced methane and trace gas monitoring from orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is supporting the effort. The new SWIR-only Tanager is designed to cover five times the area o

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ALL.SPACE, a UK-based developer of advanced satellite communications terminals and multi-network connectivity solutions. Upon closing, ALL.SPACE will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of York and continue serving its existing customer base. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in the United Kingdom with additional

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
BlackSky Technology Inc. has secured a nearly $30 million, one-year Assured subscription contract from an international defense customer seeking guaranteed access to real-time space-based tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The customer moved from an initial six-figure Early Access pilot program to the full subscription deal in under six months, a timeline

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
Reliable Robotics is advancing the certifiability of its safety-critical command-and-control datalink system for uncrewed aircraft, using industry collaboration, standards work, and active flight testing to demonstrate the ability of remotely piloted aircraft to operate within the National Airspace System and existing airport infrastructure. The Mountain View, California company's C2 Link

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 04, 2026
A 35-metre diameter parachute destined to slow the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover during its descent through the Martian atmosphere has undergone heat sterilisation at the European Space Agency's technical centre in the Netherlands, completing a critical planetary protection milestone ahead of the mission's 2028 launch. The parachute, weighing 74 kilograms and constructed primarily from n

Huntsville AL (SPX) May 04, 2026
Lockheed Martin has been awarded contracts by U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to develop capabilities for the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program, adding an early engagement layer to the nation's missile defense architecture.

London, UK (SPX) May 04, 2026
Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new class of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion, achieving for the first time a fourth-order effect called quadsqueezing. The results, published May 1 in Nature Physics, open a route to quantum effects that were previously too weak to observe in any experimental platform. The work builds on a well-established quantum t

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
An international team of planetary scientists has found that the smallest near-Earth asteroids differ markedly in composition from kilometer-scale objects, a size-dependent trend with direct implications for meteorite origin studies, asteroid-family evolution, and planetary defense modeling. The study, led by Dr. Nick Moskovitz of Lowell Observatory, analyzed 189 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 04, 2026
Loft Orbital and EarthDaily Analytics have announced a mission planned for the current quarter that will deploy six EarthDaily satellites on a single launch, the largest batch deployment to date for either company. The mission represents a significant step in completing the EarthDaily Constellation and will double the size of Loft Orbital's on-orbit fleet. The six-satellite launch is part

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
Raytheon has delivered the second sensor payload to Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Space Force's Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Block 0 satellite program, completing sensor delivery for both satellites in the constellation. The program, known as Next-Gen OPIR GEO, or NGG, is designed to provide enhanced missile warning and tracking capability against

Los Angeles, CA (SPX) May 04, 2026
Lockheed Martin has completed the core mate production phase for GPS IIIF Space Vehicle 11 (SV11), the manufacturing milestone that formally marks a satellite's structural birth. SV11 is the first GPS IIIF spacecraft scheduled to launch and the third in the block to reach that stage, following SV13 and SV14, which completed core mate last year. Core mate joins the primary structural and el

London, UK (SPX) Apr May 04, 2026
Ariane 6 is set to fly in its maximum four-booster configuration for the second time, carrying 32 Amazon Leo satellites to low Earth orbit on flight VA268. Liftoff is scheduled for 30 April 2026 between 09:08 and 09:57 BST from Europe's Spaceport, with the full flight lasting 114 minutes from liftoff to separation of the final satellites. The four-booster variant, designated A64, roughly d

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 04, 2026
Ceramic tiles and control flaps from Europe's Space Rider reentry module have successfully completed high-temperature testing in a plasma wind tunnel, clearing a major qualification hurdle for the reusable spacecraft's thermal protection and guidance systems. The tests were conducted at the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) facility in Capua, Italy, which operates the world's larges